Air Evac paramedic completes 1,000 flights

Thursday, January 15, 2009Emily McIntosh, Staff Writer

Emily McIntosh

Staff Writer

The whirr of the propeller and the hum of the helicopter's engine is enough to raise anyone's adrenaline levels. But having a critical patient on board and having to do all you can to keep that patient alive raises the stress level even more.

Yet, there are people with the Air Evac Lifeteam who go through similar situations every day. Imagine the comfort you might feel in a life-threatening emergency when you realize that a born and raised Salem man and friend is the one in that helicopter working to save your life.

Base Paramedic Supervisor Scott Moody is one of those people who puts others' lives and safety before his own. Moody war raised in the Salem area and is a Salem High School graduate. He is the son of Dr. Michael and Barbara Moody.

Moody was recently recognized for having completed 1,000 flights with the Air Evac Lifeteam. About 65 flight crew employees out of 900 have received this honor in the company, according to an Air Evac press release.

At the age of 17, Moody received his EMT certification and was soon the director of EMS at the Fulton County Hospital. He then became a member of the Air Evac Lifeteam.

"I have worked for Air Evac about four and a half years starting in 2004 here at the West Plains base," Moody said. "Then I worked as the base paramedic supervisor at Vilonia, Ark., then worked at the Poplar Bluff, Mo., base and now I'm back as the base paramedic supervisor for West Plains."

In 2005, Moody also received recognition for ranking first as the paramedic with the most flights for Air Evac. Three years later he ranked second with the most flights.

"This award recognizes Scott's accomplishment of flight volume but falls short of recognizing Scott's contributions to Air Evac Lifeteam over the past four and a half years, and I would like to congratulate Scott on all his accomplishments," Program Director Jack Bates said.

"Working as a paramedic is something I have always enjoyed doing," Moody said. "It keeps me on my toes, especially now that I work the flight crew, and allows me to help people in their time of need."